I'm deeply grateful to God for this great privilege He's given me to come to your lovely land. And I have been here before, but this time I come with my wife, and I am so grateful she's here this morning. Not often I can preach to my wife. She lets me go away so often, and she's been very brave, never stood in my way. Well, I do thank the Lord that my wife is here and my little baby boy, our baby boy. He's come along too, little Samuel. And he's enjoying America because of the lovely family that he's staying with. He doesn't really know that he's on a different continent I think, but he's very conscious he's with a different type of people, and he's enjoying it and so is Jenny. We are very grateful to this godly man and his godly wife and his godly children with the love we've been shown. And I do so appreciate him asking me, and the other ministers of this wonderful group of Christians, asking me to come at this time and I do bless the Lord for all of you young people, who love Christ in this world, that's a testimony. Don't listen to the devil. He'll tell you all sorts of things, how you're not worthy and God doesn't love you, but if you make a stand for God in this world, this wicked world, this last moment, you are precious to God, you are treasured by God, you are prized by God. You're his responsibility, you're his property. Don't doubt that; the moment you seek God in this world you've made a stand, that millions are not willing. Millions who would serve the devil. So as young people, I would just encourage you to assure you that Christ loves you and watches over you, no matter what the devil tells you. No matter how weak you are, in your own eyes. The fact you're here, God loves you. He loves you dearly. I'd like to just have a short prayer. Can we all bow before God?
"We thank Thee God, that thou hast died. God the Son. That Thou hast died for me to live. No man ever cared for me, or loved me that much. We thank Thee for Thy love. We thank Thee that Thou dost live in our hearts. That we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Christ in you is the hope of glory. There is no hope of glory if Christ is not in us. But we bless Thee forever Lord, that Christ is in us. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live, not yet I but Christ liveth in me. Oh, live out Thy life within me, Thou Jesus, King of Kings. Let the world see Jesus in me. Live out Thy life through me, as I am crucified with Thee, by faith. Come to this meeting. Hold us and protect us under the blood, from all the powers of darkness. And by the Holy Spirit make Thy Word alive, to all of our hearts, sanctify Thy Word. Stand beside me Lord, in this pulpit, fill me with the Holy Spirit, in you. Anoint my lips, and my mind and my heart. And speak through me, to this people. In Jesus Christ's name; In Jesus Christ's name, we all ask these things of Thee, our Father. Amen."
You don't have to turn to this Psalm unless you really want to turn, but you all know it so well, and I'd like to read just a few little verses to you of Psalm 1, "Blessed", that's a lovely word, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, (those who would mock God or the followers of God) blessed is such a man. But his delight", I love that word, not his disciplined, hard-pressed duty that becomes a burden, "but his delight, is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law doth he meditate, day and night." Oh, for such a man, Oh, blessed is such a man. He delights more in God's Word than in fellowship. He delights more in God's Word than anything! This word here, is the central love of his life ringing out. Nothing comes near it. Day and night, nothing keeps him for the Word. "His delight is in the Law of the Lord; in His law doth he meditate..." The great thing, not just reading, but also meditating; unhurried time with God's Word; nothing will hurry me. Nothing is more important, nothing is pressing me that is more important. This, is the most loved thing in my life. His delight, oh, day and night he meditates, he meditates. "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water...." In Africa, when you go through the desert parts of our country, it's barren. The stubs of trees - dead. Miles upon miles as all the droughts hit our land, year after year. Suddenly, you're traveling along this desert land, and there's just trees, a long line of them. You know, there's one reason - there's a river, there's a river. "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth its fruit, in his season, in season. His leaf also shall not wither. Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so...." Oh, the tragedy of an ungodly person. Are you ungodly? You know.....you don't need more than that to elaborate. You can have the answer written across your life, echoing in your heart right now, it's you. Are you ungodly? "The ungodly are not so..." Oh, I don't want to read the ungodly's part, God says will come on you, and I guarantee you, it will be your whole life. Whatever the devil says to you, of the joys of sin, oh, cursed will be written across your life. Sorrows....but oh, the blessedness, of the young man who won't go the ways of the ungodly. Won't listen to their influence. Or sit scornful of those who would be godly. No matter what the world says, "I will be godly." And written across your life by God will be the words, "BLESSED, BLESSED".
I was save thirty years ago, at the . I'd come from such a sorrowful background. But I knew God could save a soul when I looked at my brother. When I looked at what God did in that man's life. Someone I hadn't loved, in my unsaved days, how I love him. I loved him, on the day he came to Christ. I wanted this God, to be my God, His people to be my people. I determined in my heart, before I heard the first sermon on the true gospel, that "Thy God shall be my God", when I saw what God did to my brother. When I looked at these people he was mixing with, choosing now, for the first time in his life. Out of their heart welled up joy I've never, ever seen in my life, in any human that I'd ever met. I longed for this God to be my God; this people to be my people. The people my brother now loved, that who, one with him, who had true joy. I remember going along to the old Presbyterian church in South Africa in a town called Box burgh, where my brother was going along too. And this old Scottish Presbyterian minister, he died, shortly after this moment, that I'm recalling. God spared him in his sickness, for me, and then God took him, I know that. I needed to hear what that man said. When I came to him, and I said, "I want God to do for me, what He's done for my brother. I want to be saved. I want this God to be my God." And he looked at me, and he said, "I won't pray with you boy. I won't pray with you. I've heard of you. I've heard people praying for you. I won't pray with you. Unless you count the cost. It costs to be a Christian, Keith. Where I come from, it costs. Here in you land, I hear people saying, "It's free, it's grace, come, it's free". It's not free, though it's by grace. It will cost you more dearly than anything will ever cost you in life to be saved. It will cost you all your friends. I guarantee you just looking at you Keith, you won't have one left. They'll desert you. It will cost you Keith. Written across your life from this moment, till the day you die, if you're truly going to get saved, will be written by God these words, for the whole world to see, "FINISHED WITH THE WORLD. FINISHED WITH THE WORLD!" Otherwise, you're wasting my time, you're wasting your time, you're wasting God 's time, in coming here saying you want to become a child of God. COUNT THE COST! I won't be guilty of praying with a man and letting him walk out of this door with a testimony and all he has is a testimony, but he goes to the same places the world goes. I won't be guilty of letting a man have a testimony when he thinks he can go to where the world goes, and dress like the world, be like the world. No......You're in the world, but you're not of the world. When you come to God, when you come to God written across your life will be these words, and every single person that ever knows you will see these words written across your life, otherwise you're lying, when you say you're saved, you're lying. Now go and count the cost, while I go say goodbye to all these people." I went over to his home, the home next door where the minister lived, and I thought to my self, "I don't see this as a cost. I don't care who I lose as friends. I don't care what it costs. I don't want that life." I hated the last few years. Even in laughter the heart was sorrowful. It's a lie to think being unsaved is a joy. It's a lie of the devil to say that sin brings happiness. It doesn't......It doesn't. He came in, he didn't say to me, "Have you counted the cost?" He said, "Get on your knees", this old man. He read a few verses of the Word of God here and there for ten minutes or so, gave great illumination to my heart. He said, "Pray". Now I think I prayed everything wrong. I'd never prayed aloud in my life. There was about 10-15 people in that room, all on their knees waiting for me to pray now. And I had come out of terrible sin, terrible sin. But I prayed. God doesn't look at the words that proceed out of the mouth, he looketh at the heart, from whence they come. Oh, I think I prayed everything wrong, what this man had expected me to pray. God saw in this heart, I was looking to the blood of Jesus alone, for the first time in my life, to wash me that I may be forgiven. I was looking to a risen Christ, that I knew could transform a life totally. And I longed for that to happen to me. And I received Him, in a childlike way, into my heart and life. I stood up, after that prayer and the first thing I thought, the first thought that came into my mind was, "I don't feel any different; I don't feel any different." And that really stunned me. I didn't say it with my lips, I just thought it. "I feel the same, I don't feel any different." I had thought there would be a flood of joy. I don't know quite what I thought, but I was waiting for some amazing feeling. "I don't feel any different." And somehow this godly, old Presbyterian minister, he looked at me and it was like he read my thoughts. He said, "It doesn't matter if you don't feel anything." And he did something remarkable. He took the old King James Bible, the "Thees and Thous" you know, that people argue against, it's difficult to understand, they say. He put it in my hand, and looked me in the eyes and he said, "Keith, this is your source of survival, till the day you die, from this day. Take it boy, soak yourself in the Bible as the greatest priority of your life, everyday of your life and you will never backslide. This is your source of survival. The greatest priority the devil has from this moment till the day you die is to keep you from this book. He will war with you to keep you from this book. And if he does, everything's going to go wrong Keith. But if you can keep yourself that you never allow the devil, no matter what he's doing, no matter what he's crying out everyday, if you can keep yourself that you'll never neglect the Bible, till the day you die, nothing will go wrong boy, nothing! Get away from the crowd, Keith. When you see time, given to you by God, take it with both hands! And soak yourself in the Word of God! Every time God gives you time, take it! Soak yourself in the Word boy!
I went to my home. It was about ten o'clock in the night. And I opened it; he said to me, "Start with the book of John tonight. Get through John, then start in Matthew. Go through chapter upon chapter, right through to Revelation, the whole New Testament. Do that at least three times. Then take the Old Testament, three of the Old, three chapters of the Old, three of the New, everyday, neverless! Often more, and you'll find, there's many, many opportunities that's going to come where it's more. When you can read whole books in one day of the Bible! Don't lose that time!"
Well, I, at home, got on my knees and I opened to the book of John, and I thought to myself, "I've never understood this old language; this "Thees and Thous", but I'll read anyway." And so I began to read, and I read, and I read. And suddenly I saw the tears dropping on the pages. And I thought, "I understand it! I understand every word! And it's speaking to me! It's not like a dead book. These verses of God were speaking to me!" I began to mark with a pen. I marked, "Oh, look at it! God's saying this to me!" And no human voice could penetrate, there's a voice going, where only God's voice can reach. "Oh, look at this!" Suddenly I looked back, every single verse in the whole page I had marked. The whole book was alive! The next thing I knew, when I looked up the sun was shining. I hadn't slept the whole night, it was daytime! I had to go to work! I didn't feel tired though. And I went to work. Teatime came, we had this bell that rang. I didn't give a chance to anyone to say one word to me, I just fled, with the Bible; I want a few chapters. Lunch time came. I didn't want to eat. I wanted the Word of God. Oh, the Word of God. The Word of God. I didn't realize it, but this book says, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby." There's no other source of growth when you're born of God. "As newborn babes...." What does God mean there? You became a child of God. You weren't born a fully grown spiritual man - that takes years, don't try and be like that! But you're God's child when you're born again.
Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God", he cannot see the kingdom of Heaven. Now, he said that to a very religious man, and there was confusion here. Born again! Unless a man is born again, there's no hope of him ever getting to heaven! "What do you mean, how can a man be born when he is old? He can't get in his mother's womb and come out a second time." He said to Christ? He was stunned, he was confused, he was almost offended at such a thought. There's no understanding. Christ looked at this man and in essence, this is what he began to say, which was expounded throughout the scriptures of what Christ said to Nicodemus. When you are born, physically, you're not born a child of God. The moment you come out of your mother's womb, you're born into the family of your mother and father. You're their child at that moment. You became a child of your mother and father. You weren't born a child of God, no man is born a child of God! You must be born again! You were born physically. You have to be born spiritually! No child can be born a child of God! Because by grace, are ye saved, through faith. Now no child can put faith, no child's intellect can be able to function to put faith in the blood of Jesus Christ to be born of God. No one is born a child of God when he's born! A child of his mother and father. You must be born again! The moment you're born again of God! You look me in the eyes and say, "How do I know?" I'll tell you. The Word of God - you look at a baby. He hasn't had a vocabulary to know, "Mommy, I want milk!" But when a baby wants milk, he knows he wants milk! He just opens his mouth, the whole world doesn't need him to speak just to know what he wants! H e needs milk! Let me tell you, if you're born again, YOU NEED MILK! You survive by it. You can't do without it ! If you can do without it, you're not saved! When you're born again, it is life! The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit through the child of God through this Word! Not through some sensational emotion! You know! As God speaks to you, this book becomes alive! The natural man cannot receive the things of God. He can't discern them. The moment the Holy Spirit is in you, you see, "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life!" This book becomes alive! When God is in you, and the Holy Spirit is in you; it's dead until then! It's dead! But when you are alive in Christ and Christ is in you, you're born of God, you desire the sincere milk of the Word, as newborn babes! That's all you are. And all God expects of you, is that you desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby. No other way; you will grow through the Word of God. "Man shall not live by bread alone, (by food, ) but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"; You will die if you don't take food for your physical once you're born physically. You will die if you don't take food spiritually once you're born spiritually! You cannot live without the Word of God! Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God...." You live by it! You stay alive by it! You know you're alive by it, because you have to take it. You have to live by it! You can't do without it! You can't survive without it! Can you imagine a child that is truly born of God, starving... hungry.... And pushing it aside? If you're born of God, and it's there for you to take, you will take it! Or otherwise, YOU'RE NOT BORN OF GOD! You need to be born again! And you will never know what the witness of the Spirit is in your heart, where you know you are, until this book is your greatest source of survival, of life! You know you live by it! The Word of God.
A man once stood in the pulpit, and shocked everyone, as he held this book out, and he said with a loud voice, "This, is worthless; (the Bible) don't waste your time with this. Take my word for it. This, can do nothing for you, ever, in your life. It's a waste of time. This is worthless to you, I guarantee all of you, so don't waste your time with it." I think people were becoming offended, when he suddenly opened it and said, "But this, this will make you Holy. This is worthless. No good having a Bible, that isn't opened, opened more than it's closed. If you carry it closed, it's just to the next spot to open."
The greatest theologian in the world stood with me. You take out EP Commentary, probably the most popular commentary out today amongst evangelicals. A good third of that commentary was written by Dr. R. J. Sheriffs. Sheriffs stood with me one day, and I was speaking to him about the Word of God, what it meant to me. And this man, one of the greatest authorities in world, he's dead now, those days, he was regarded as one of the four greatest authorities in the world of Old Testament Hebrew. He looked at me as I spoke of the Word of God and he opened up the front of his Bible, and he'd written these simple words, the only words he'd ever written in the front of his Bible, that he ever added between the covers of this book. He wrote these words, "Sin will keep me from the Bible, but the Bible will keep me from sin." "Sin will keep me from the Bible, but the Bible will keep me from sin." You know, I took a pen, and I wrote it, I wrote it. I thought those words were enough to put in the pages before all these wonderful words of God. Oh, Oh, "Where withal shall a young man cleanse his way, by taking heed according to Thy Word", "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee". That's the only reason Lord, that I've hid it within my heart, that I might not sin against Thee. Oh, it's so true, this can do nothing for you, (a closed, unread Bible) but this will make you Holy, (An open, read Bible). It will make you Holy if it is the great priority of your life. If it's the source of survival. Every day of your life. The wonderful Word of God.
Thirty years later, after that man held this book and put it in my hands, not one day, for thirty years, did anything ever draw me away from it that was more important to me. Not my wife, though I would die for her, willingly, without a hesitation. Not my children, who are my precious treasures, who've made life rich. Nothing. Not God's work. Nothing has kept me for thirty years. From the time I needed to soak myself unhurriedly, in the Word of God. And no other reason can I give the world, that I did not backslide for thirty years but this one reason: I NEVER NEGLECTED THE WORD OF GOD. I never neglected the Word of God. No other reason. Wasn't there temptation? You're cold. You're wondering whether you ever were saved? You neglected the Word of God. You're on fire for God? You never neglected the Word of God. That's why you're on fire brother, from the day you were saved. You grew, and grew and grew and stood out for Christ! You never neglected the word of God! You look like an unsaved person even though you've had an experience? You neglected the Word of God. No other reason. This wasn't central, for survival. This was neglected. "Faith, cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God." You have faith that moves mountains? You soaked yourself in the Word of God. You never seen one prayer ever answered, so you don't pray for mighty things? It's because you neglect the Word of God.
D.L. Moody - Moody was one of the greatest soul-winners the world has ever seen. Moody had a standard-six, (grade six, education level). He had no theological seminars. He had no degrees of Theology behind his name. But it was Moody that God took up. A man with a standard-six, no theological seminars to talk of, to give him the right to stand in the great pulpits of the world, but he won millions to Christ. Moody won millions to Christ. You know why Moody won millions to Christ? Because he was mightily saved and filled with the Spirit later? No. Moody was mightily saved. In a moment in his life when he absolutely surrendered his life to God, God took hold of him, filling, taking total control of him with the Spirit, complete control. And every circumstance you're spontaneously reacting with the Fruit of the Spirit. Moody was filled with the Spirit. But something hurt Moody. Something grieved Moody. Something brought Moody to a standstill, Spirit-filled and all. Moody said, "My prayers, are not being answered. I was asking God for things, I was asking God to reach Chicago. I was asking God for things, and my prayers were not being answered. And I used to pray as a young Christian, zealous for God, longing to see great things, but not seeing these things happening. I would come broken before God, that my prayers were not answered. And I would say, "Lord, give me faith! My faith is so weak, I need faith God! Give me faith!" And he said, "I thought that it would come like lightening from heaven in one moment, God will give me faith in answer to prayer, I'd stand up, able to pour out my heart and see God rending the heavens and mountains removed! I thought faith would come in one moment as an answer to prayer, but God didn't do that. One night, I got on my knees, and I opened the Bible...." He did what Andrew Murray said; South Africa's Andrew Murray, the holiest man South Africa ever had in it's history. Andrew Murray said, "Don't ever get on your knees to pray unless you open the Bible. Because if you do, then you just have a one-way conversation to God, but when you open the Bible, you speak and God speaks, that's prayer." Communion with God! Open the Bible! Keep a pen beside you! Whenever you get down to pray and speak to God, expect God to answer you! And He will! Andrew Murray said, "This isn't an ordinary book, it's a living miracle!" In God's sovereignty, in God's Almightiness, wherever you are at life, whatever crisis you're facing, you will find it amazing, stunning, where you are at....God speaks to you! God speaks literary (words) that there's no doubt, this is God! Comforting you when you're suddenly wounded! And the very first words that you speak, will be God's comfort! When you need guidance, God will be guiding you! You read the Book with an open heart to hear God's voice - He will speak. And when He speaks, take the promise, mark it, put the date, for God surely will answer it! God surely will.
Oh, Moody did it. He got on his knees and now he did something he'd never done before, he said. He got on his knees, he opened the Bible, at random, just opened. And he prayed again, from his heart, "Oh God, give me faith!" here he comes again, his prayers hadn't been answered, but this time he opens the Bible! "Give me faith! I Need faith!" He opened his eyes. Not expecting anything. And he read these words, "Faith, cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17) "Oh," he said, " I'll never pray and ask God to give me faith again, God told me where to get it! I'd read about six, seven verses of the bible," he says, "in a day. I meditated, but I was held on them, I didn't go further. And now I just stopped everything. All my running around. All my preparation, everything. I just said, "No - this is what I need now. I don't need anything else." "I read chapters. I laid down everything in life and I read chapters, and chapters, and chapters. Days, just reading, soaking. And from that time, God began to answer my prayers." God took Moody. There was a movement of God across Chicago that had never been seen. Never been seen. Didn't go "sheep stealing", he wouldn't bypass a soul, Moody. And suddenly God was working. God took this man, to Scotland. And the greatest revival in the history of Scotland came through a man who had a standard-six. I don't know what that's in your country, grade something -or the other, sixth grade. Moody was taken there. The great John Knox was used, to turn Scotland away from Rome, and the heresies of the Roman Doctrine. But it was Moody, it was Moody that turned the nation to God and the greatest revival that has ever been seen. Do you know what Moody prayed when he stood in Scotland? Can you imagine a man praying this prayer? And God answering it? He stood in the pulpit and said, "Oh, God....Bring this land back to Thyself, through me." He's an American man. The first pulpit he stands in Scotland. Praying that prayer......wasn't that presumptuous? Wasn't that Presumptuous? Oh......no. God swept down from heaven, and across that land from the moment Moody prayed that prayer, and the greatest revival came, that has ever been seen in Scotland. People turning to God across the land. Everywhere just seeking God. As Moody crossed the land. The whole world trembled. The whole world trembled, as they looked at what was happening in Scotland. A land seeking God! And here was the man, Moody.
He went to Oxford and Cambridge you know. Can you imagine Oxford and Cambridge combining in the Great Hall to hear a man who had a standard-six? They laughed when they heard his American accent. The English didn't quite like that; they thought it was murdering their accent. Murdering their language. There he stood with a big Bola hat. He wasn't really the best dressed man on earth. He had this old, shabby type of jacket on. He's like me - my wife goes through a terrible time to get me to have different clothes. Well, there he stood. Not exactly looking like a great orator - I mean the greatest orators of the world would come to speak to this people, the most privileged students on earth at Oxford and Cambridge in those days, the future leaders of the Empire, the British Empire. There they sat, and as they heard this man they began to roar with laughter. The roars just came, and the dean, everyone screaming, "Stop this, this is outrageous!" They couldn't stop laughing. Moody just prayed in his heart for God to come. He raised his voice above all the laughter. As he stood up there after ten minutes, there was a stunned silence. After a few minutes more there was weeping. A few minutes later, the whole hall, thousands of them, on their faces,, screaming - not just crying, screaming for mercy. Why did God use this man and not the great Spurgeon? The greatest preacher that ever lived? Spurgeon stood in there, that never happened with Spurgeon - how does a man with a standard=six stand up? Oh you see, one reason. God answered his prayers because he found the source of faith. He stood in his old age, this godly Moody. In the end when the whole world would stagger. The unsaved, in their millions, knew the name Moody. Moody was the name known across the world as the greatest soul-winner alive. In his old age, Moody said these words: "I attribute everything that God ever did through me, whether to a town, city or nation, to one reason. The faith that came into my heart as I began to soak myself in the Word of God, the source of hope."
Tell me; how many times have you read through the Bible, can I ask every one of you to answer God? You read three chapters a day, in one year, you're through the Bible once. Just three chapters. Now that would take you fifteen minutes and you have to go pretty slow to not read more. You haven't read through the Bible once, means you didn't give God three chapters, you didn't give God fifteen minutes? You wonder why your life is worthless? You wonder why your prayers aren't answered? You wonder why you have no faith? Shame on you. I can think of no other word but shame on you. If you have not read through this book from cover-to-cover once in one year, you didn't give God fifteen minutes of twenty-four hours - everything else was so important; your education, oh, you gave HOURS! But what could have kept America, from being defiled....The land that once sent out missionaries and Bibles above all other nations, now sends out depravity! And if God's people had had faith, and prayed through! And you'll only pray when you see your prayers being answered. And the more you they're answered, the more you'll pray until you're praying for your nation. You'll never pray for your nation until you see God answering your prayers in the small things. You'll never pray in faith in the way that can move this mountain that's surrounding this whole world, what's leaving America to corrupt the world now. Three chapters.....You read six chapters a day; that's half-an-hour. You would have been through the Bible twice in the last year. Half-an-hour is nothing you know.
My daddy, my father, was saved when he was fifty-one years of age. And he wasted no time - in nine years he read through this book sixty-eight times. Sixty-eight times! He didn't neglect the other books of spiritual value. I have his books. Andrew Murray's. All Andrew Murray's. Matthew Henry's commentary, Adam Clark. Notes on every page. He devoured the things of God, but he never neglected the Word! Sixty-eight times, from cover-to-cover in nine years! Do you know that when my daddy prayed, every prayer he ever prayed, that men heard him pray, God answered immediately, with the exception of one prayer. Do you know of that in your daddy's life? Do you know why such men lived? Nothing kept them from the Word. They found the source of faith! And they prayed. I remember my daddy praying for me. You know as he prayed for me, I stood in fear! I won't tell you what my father prayed for, of my life, for God to do in my life; it's sacrilege to say the words my daddy prayed. What he wanted God to do in and through me. I stood, and I trembled and I began to weep! You know why? Because I knew God would answer this prayer! Not because of anything in me, but because of my father! Because I knew every prayer the man prayed, God answered! Immediately! With the exception of one that none ever heard him pray, every prayer my father uttered was answered by God right that moment. It shook the world! It shook everyone. The godly would turn to him, in meetings; ministers stopping in the half-way through their sermon when they saw his face, "Mr. Daniels, stand and pray for us! That God break through here!" No other man was called upon in the middle of a service to pray like that. Why? Because God answered his prayers!
The holiest man of God I ever knew on earth, the holiest man of God I ever stood with was Mr. Will McFarland. He loved us as a family. He read through this book four hundred times. Four hundred and twenty-three times. He shone! Something from within. He shone! Of integrity, of purity, of sanctified life that only the Word of God can give! He loved my darling wife, as a daughter. And he told her one day, "Every prayer I ever prayed, God has answered, apart from one." Can you imagine why? Four hundred times.....Do you know that you could easily read through this book four hundred times young man? Do you know that within, you can shine, that men tremble in your presence! I trembled in his presence when I looked at him. And I saw how holy God could make a man. Do you know how easy it is for you, to one day look the world in the eyes and they will find out you've read through this book over four hundred times! If you make it the priority! You think you will neglect everything else that's important, you won't ! God won't allow you to do that. He doesn't want you not to use your common sense. And the closer you are to God, the more you'll put your priorities right, you won't neglect! And the little bit of time you do put, will be so honored by God, as you pray even for you're your studies! Of course there's discipline, in every aspect of life, but the greatest discipline will be this; otherwise I guarantee you everything else will be vanity in your life one day, and worthless, and cause you heartache, not the great things you think lie ahead because of the time you're putting in now. Don't neglect the Word of God! Ever! For anything! Not in this time of your country's history! Imagine if everybody in this building one day could say, or be said of you, "Every prayer they prayed, every prayer he prays, every prayer she prays, men tremble because they know that God is going to answer!" Imagine if there's another Moody in America! Who cries out to God, "Give me this land! Bring this land back to Thyself through me!" Imagine if there was a man that had that ability! Through faith, through knowing that every prayer he prays since he soaked himself in the Word of God, God answers! When will you stand up, Christians of America? And move this nation back to God! You think you're waiting for revival? Well, maybe it will come when you start getting down to the Word of God again, as you greatest priority! And finding your prayers answered until you're praying in a way for America, that it will come back to God! Until then, I wonder if you will ever see revival. I doubt it! Do you want the stepping stones to revival, oh, people of God, get back to the Word of God. Get back to the Word of God. As your greatest love, in life. Your greatest source of survival. Your only source of faith that will move nations back to Christ! In days when we get back to the Bible. In days, when we start spending days and start praying after those few days.
I'm going to ask you something that's going to cost you. I'm going to ask everyone of you that know you're born of God, and know you neglect this book, so badly, that need to say to God today, "Forgive me, my God. I've looked at the news, and what's happening to my nation and I blame the government, I blame everything. But I'm to blame. I wouldn't have spent so much time listening to the news and condemning everything else on earth, but myself, if I was able to pray and had prayed. This nation's history would have been different." I wonder how many of you, need to say to God, "Forgive me. I'm the one that could have changed this nation. And I'm condemning everything, and everything could have changed through me, not through my condemnation, but through the faith, that came through the Word! If I'd only soaked myself and been an instrument in the Word of God for revival on my knees!" I want those of you that are guilty. I'm not asking a superficial thing here. You're so guilty you're ashamed, you need to be, you need to be. To ask God for mercy, for the neglect of His Word. And to make a vow to God this morning, "It will be first in my life now, everyday. Not my studies." And I guarantee you, God will start answering your prayers, Christians of America. Only when this book, the Source of Faith, is taken up again. Those of you that desperately need to vow that to God, that have so neglected it you're ashamed. Nothing's going to cross you. And you're not going to neglect it again. This is going to be soaked into your life. Those of you that need to ask forgiveness for this terrible thing, of neglecting God's Word, and to vow this to God, "That I'll never neglect it from this day." I want you to stand, those that need to say that to God. I only ask once.
Will you all who are standing please pray aloud, these words,
"Oh, God....please forgive me, for wasting so much time. And neglecting the Word of God. Forgive me, that I loved other things more, than the Word of God. Wash me in the blood, for ever having done this. Wash me deeply in the blood from all failure in my life, God. And I vow to Thee, from my heart, that from this day, I will never neglect the Word of God again. I long, to bring America back to Thee, through my prayers. Give me faith God, through Thy Word. In Jesus Christ's name, Amen."
Can we all remain standing? Can those sitting , please stand? Now, I'm not going to make a strong appeal to those of you that are not born again, and therefore as newborn babes you never knew what it was to live and survive and stay alive through the Word of God. I just say this to you; you're here for a few days, if you're unsaved and you're sitting with these people seeking God, as the children of God, you need desperately to seek God as soon as you can to save your soul. Not to wait for a message. But go to someone you respect, who's godly - young or old and say, "Help me, I'm not born-again. I'm not saved. Help me to find Jesus through you." You walk up to them and you go and stand somewhere and kneel somewhere and you pray through, you pray through.
I don't know about you, but I haven't got a shadow of a doubt, that this nation of yours could turn back to God, in a most staggering way, that would make the whole world look back to America. As it looked in the days of Finney. The revival that came through Finney, through what he preached and believed, revival spread through England, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, and many, many countries of the world. The most revival the world has ever seen, and when men looked back to what America did, when Finney left. Oh, that the world would look back to you again.
I haven't got the slightest doubt that God will make the world look back to this land. If you people do what you've vowed to do. And pray to God for the greatest thing you could right now, "Bring this land back to Thyself now; stop the devil from destroying it. Bring America back to Christ." You might not be a preacher, but on your knees, you might be the one that makes God rend the heavens and come down, if you obey what you've heard today, through this book. Don't doubt it now. Change your history, on your knees, while you soak yourself in this Book.
